Crib

ABSTRACT

Described herein is a crib and locking mechanism for a crib. Preferably, a pair of mechanisms is located on the left and the right side of the top horizontal member of the front guard rail, and another pair is on the rear guard rail, with the pairs being positioned on either the outside of the guard rail(s) or on the inside of the guard rail(s). Each mechanism preferably includes a bar that can be slid back (“lock”) and forth (“release”). One end of the bar has a notch that covers a complimentary section within the crib frame to keep the rail from sliding down. There is a slit on the inside of the horizontal member through which a protruding knob is exposed. Moving the knob slides the bar back and forth. In order to lower the rail, the rail must be slightly lifted to disengage the notch from its complimentary part and the knob of both mechanisms must be simultaneously moved to the “release” position. Additionally, the rail can be completely removed from the crib.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/571,451 filed May 13, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to baby cribs, and in particular to a locking mechanism for a baby crib.

Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever.

2. Background Art

Cribs have a long and fascinating history dating back to the drawings on catacomb walls of early Christendom. Contemporary cribs, like other items for babies including toys, car seats, and strollers, undergo rigorous governmental and safety agency tests and have to meet minimum safety standards. Parents are not only concerned about a crib passing all these rigorous tests, but are also concerned about the aesthetics of the crib and furniture advantages, such as locking mechanisms and capability for conversion from a baby crib into a toddler or a regular twin size bed.

Even though contemporary cribs come in many finishes and styles, they often have certain common safety features. The locking mechanism of the guard rail is sometimes placed on an exterior surface of the guard rail making it an eyesore. Another drawback with some prior art locking mechanisms is that significant pressure has to be applied to release the locking mechanism to raise and lower the guard rail. What is needed is a locking mechanism that is relatively maintenance free, can be engaged to lock the guard rail without being both an eyesore and a tedious process, and can be released to raise or lower the guard rail without being a cumbersome process.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Described herein is a locking mechanism for a baby crib and a crib with a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism is intended to be implemented into the front and rear guard railings of various crib designs. The locking mechanism allows for the crib guard railings to be easily secured to the top of the crib frame, released and lowered, as well as lifted completely up and out. In order to secure the railing to the top of the crib from it being in a lowered position, the user needs to first lift the railing to the height of the crib frame. Then, the user must move two knobs located on the inside of the railing, or, in alternate embodiments, on the outside of the railing to the “locked” position. Once this is done, the guard rail will be secured at the height of the crib frame. If the user wants to lower the crib railing from this position, the user must simultaneously move the two knobs to the “release” position. Once this is done, the guard rail will be able to slide down approximately eight to ten inches. Additionally, if the user desires to remove the crib guard rails completely off of the crib, the knobs need to both be in the “release” position and the user need only lift the railings up and off.

The locking mechanism is typically incorporated into a crib design by using two pairs of locking mechanisms per crib. One pair is located on either side of the top horizontal member of the front guard rail, and the other pair is located on either side of the top horizontal member of the rear guard rail. The knob components of the locking mechanism can be positioned on the outside of the horizontal top bar of the front and/or back guard railing, or in alternate preferred embodiments, on the inside of the top bar. Alternatively, a single pair may be incorporated with only one of the railings. Each locking mechanism preferably includes a rectangular shaped bar that can be slid back (“lock” position) and forth (“release” position) in order to lock and unlock the crib guard rail. The end of the rectangular bar that slides in and out of the frame of the crib preferably has a notch that covers a protruding complimentary section within the frame of the crib in order to keep the guard rail from sliding down. There is a slit on the inside of the top horizontal member of each guard rail through which a protruding knob, or actuator, is exposed. The user typically simultaneously grasps each of the knobs on one of the railings, and then slides each bar back and forth. The crib guard rail is slightly lifted to disengage the notch at the end of the bar from its complimentary part before sliding the knob of both locking mechanisms in a single guard rail to the release position in order to move the rail down. Preferably in some embodiments, each crib rail can be lowered to about ten inches from the topmost position, and easily be completely removed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present crib and locking mechanism will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective side view of a crib utilizing the present locking mechanism, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a different side view of a crib utilizing the present locking mechanism, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts components of the present locking mechanism in the “locked” position, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of another view of components of the present locking mechanism in the “locked” position, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the hook closure feature of the present locking mechanism being inserted into a cavity on the crib wall, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of the components of the present locking mechanism in the “release” position and the crib guard rail in a lowered position, according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the hook closure feature of the present locking mechanism being locked down to secure the crib guard rail, according to an alternate embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the hook closure feature of the FIG. 7 embodiment being lifted up to release the crib guard rail.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 7 embodiment with the hook in a retracted position.

FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 7 embodiment with the rail being lowered.

FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of another alternate embodiment of the present locking mechanism.

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective side view of a crib utilizing yet another alternate embodiment of the present locking mechanism.

FIG. 13 depicts a perspective side view of a crib of another alternate embodiment of the present locking mechanism.

FIG. 14 shows a perspective side view of a crib of yet another alternate embodiment of the present locking mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the above-identified figures, several embodiments of the present crib and locking mechanism are described. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough description of these embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known features have not been described in detail.

The present locking mechanism or different aspects thereof may be readily implemented in cribs having various ornamental designs, such as disclosed in the following commonly assigned and co-pending design patent applications and incorporated herein as reference, and include: U.S. Pat. No. 29/205,441 entitled “Wooden Crib” filed May 14, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 29/205,464 entitled “Leather Crib” filed May 14, 2004; and U.S. Pat. No. 29/205,440 entitled “Fabric Crib” filed May 14, 2004. Alternatively, the locking mechanism may be implemented in other crib designs and structures as well.

FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate a first preferred embodiment of the present crib and locking mechanism. FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of crib 20 with a front guard rail 22, a rear guard rail 38, and a crib frame 24 that wraps under and outside a mattress 26. The front 22 and rear 38 guard rails are shown so that the tops of the rails (22 and 38) are at the same height as the crib frame 24. In one embodiment, the distance from the top of the rails (22 and 38) in this position to the top of the mattress 26 is about twenty-six inches. This distance is denoted as distance 28. Alternatively, this distance 28 can vary in other embodiments. One can also see in this view that the bottom of the front 22 and rear 38 guard rails are at some distance 27 above the floor 29. According to one embodiment, the distance 27 that the front 22 and/or rear 38 guard rails can be lowered towards the floor 29 ranges from eight to ten inches. Alternatively, the crib may be made so that only one of the guard railings (22 or 38) is able to be lowered towards the floor 29.

FIG. 2 depicts a different side view of crib 20. This view illustrates a close-up of a groove 40 within the frame 24 of the crib 20 in which the front 22 and rear 38 guard rails slide up and down. The directions that the front 22 and/or rear 38 crib railings slide, or reciprocate up and down, is denoted by double-headed arrow 41. According to one embodiment, groove 40 goes all the way to the top of the frame 24. In other words, the groove 40 runs along the vertical side 34 as well as the horizontal side 36 of the frame 24 in a channel that is generally shaped like an “L”. FIG. 1 shows the top of the front 22 and rear 38 guard rails through the groove 40 at points 30 and 32.

In one alternate embodiment, the front guard rail 22 can be completely detached from the crib by raising the front guard rail 22 until it clears the top of the crib frame 24, as explained in further detail below. According to another embodiment, the groove 40 ends, preferably, about three and one-half inches below the top of the horizontal side 36 of the frame 24 (not shown in the FIG. 2). In other words, when the front 22 and rear 38 guard rails are in their topmost position, their bottom edges are three and one-half inches below the top of the horizontal side 36 of the frame 24.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-6, the front guard rail 22, as well as the rear guard rail 38, can be completely detached from the crib 20. In order to detach either the front 22 or rear 38 guard rails from the crib 20, the locking mechanisms of the railing (22 or 38) are first positioned in a “release” position, as will be described in further detail. Then the rail (22 or 38) can be raised until it clears the top of the vertical side 34 of the frame 24 and, thus, lifted off the crib 20.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 each illustrate a different view of the first embodiment of the present locking mechanism. FIG. 3 shows one side of the locking mechanism in the “locked” position, in which knob, or actuator 46 is positioned to the far right in slot 44. As is apparent, protruding knob 46 can be slid to the left or right, as indicated by arrows 45 and 47. As will also be appreciated, FIGS. 3-6 illustrate one side of the crib 20 and its associated locking mechanism components. As viewed from the inside of the crib 20, the right side is shown. A mirror-image set of like components are positioned at the left side of the crib 20. In operation, the left and right side of the locking mechanisms are operated simultaneously. FIG. 4 shows another view of the locking mechanism in the “locked” position, and FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the hook portion 49 of the locking mechanism secured in the groove 40 of the crib 20. FIG. 6 shows the locking mechanism in the “release” position and the front guard rail 22 in a lowered position, with the protruding knob 46 moved to the far left of slot 44.

FIG. 3 shows a view from the inside of the crib 20 looking outwards through the front guard rail 22. In this view, the front guard rail 22 is in the topmost position. The horizontal member 50 of the front guard rail 22 has a slit 44 through which a protruding knob 46 of the right side of the locking mechanism can be seen. This protruding knob 46 is held to move this part of the locking mechanism back, with the “locked” position shown by arrow 47, and forth, with the “release” position shown by arrow 45. The shape of the protruding knob 46 is for illustration purposes only and other shapes, preferably, approved by the governmental agency that regulates safety laws are equally possible without departing from the essence of the present invention. Each side of the locking mechanism is housed within the horizontal member 50 of the front guard rail 22. In this embodiment, the horizontal member 50 is rectangular in shape. However, in alternative embodiments, the horizontal member 50 can be of other shapes (e.g., cylindrical).

FIG. 4 shows another view of the right side of the locking mechanism in the locked position and the front guard rail 22 in the topmost position. This view shows groove 40, discussed above, running along the entire vertical height 34 of the crib frame 24. According to one embodiment, the groove 40 is deep enough to house the entire width of a vertical slat of the front guard rail 22.

FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the right side of the locking mechanism from within the groove 40. Each side of the locking mechanism has a bar 52 that can be slid back and forth using the protruding knob 46. This view shows that the locking mechanism is housed within the top horizontal member 50 of the front guard rail 22. The locking mechanism in this view is again in the “locked” position and one can see that the bar 52 has a notch 51 that covers or fits over a complimentary protrusion 53 of the crib frame 24. In order to completely remove the front guard rail 22, a user lifts the rail 22 until the bottom of the rail completely clears the groove 40. Once this is done, the railing 22 can be completely removed from the crib 20.

In order to lower the front guard rail 22 from its topmost position, which is shown in FIG. 5, a user lifts the rail 22 until each of the left and right notch 51 clears its complimentary protrusion 53. Then, the user must slide each side of the locking mechanism toward the center of the crib to place it in the “release” position. The user can then slide the front rail 22 down, using the groove 40 as a track. The railing 22 will now be in its lowermost position where the top of the railing 22, preferably, is about eight inches from the top of the crib 20. This distance can vary in other embodiments.

FIG. 6 shows the right side of the front guard rail 22 in its lowermost position. As explained above, the locking mechanism has to be in the “release” position in order to slide the rail 22 down using the groove 40 as a track. The view shows the protruding knob 46 on the left of slit 44. This positioning of the knob 46 means that the bar of the locking mechanism has been moved to the left and, thus, the notch is released from its complementary section within the crib frame.

It is emphasized that FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 discussed above all depict a right side locking mechanism of a front guard rail 22 when viewed from within the crib 20 looking out. The crib 20 preferably contains three other locking mechanisms that are similar to the mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6. One of these three mechanisms is located on the left side of the front guard railing 22. And, the other two mechanisms are located on the left and right sides of the rear guard railing 38, respectively.

FIGS. 7 through 12 illustrate alternate preferred embodiments of the present crib and locking mechanism, all of which have caps adapted to prevent the rail from being removed from the crib. The embodiment of FIGS. 7-11 differ from the previously described embodiment in that hook 62 of the locking mechanism in this embodiment is inserted into a cavity 63 of the crib frame 54. FIGS. 7-10 depict a step-by-step process of how the crib railing is lowered from being secured in its topmost position. These figures show a cross-sectional view of one of the locking mechanisms in the front crib guard rail.

In FIG. 7, the railing is secured in its topmost position. In this figure, hook 62 of the locking mechanism is shown to be inserted into cavity 63 of the crib frame 54. This figure also shows that notch 58 of the hook 62 of the locking mechanism is secured onto, or rests over, the complimentary protrusion 60 of the crib frame 54.

FIG. 8 shows how the user initiates lowering the guard railing. In this figure, the horizontal member 56 of the crib railing must be lifted high enough such that the notch 58 in the hook 62 of the locking mechanism clears the complimentary protrusion 60 of the crib frame 54.

FIG. 9 depicts a subsequent step that the user performs to lower the guard rail. In this step, the user moves the protruding knob to the “release” position. When the knob is in the “release” position, the hook 62 of locking mechanism is retracted inside of the horizontal member 56. FIG. 9 shows the hook 62 completely retracted inside of the horizontal member 56.

FIG. 10 shows the guard rail being lowered. In this step, because the hook 62 of the locking mechanism is completely retracted inside of the horizontal member 56, the horizontal member 56 is able to clear the side of the crib frame 54 and, thus, the railing can now be lowered by the user.

FIG. 11 illustrates another preferred alternate embodiment of the present crib and locking mechanism having an alternate cap configuration. In FIG. 11 the cap 64 has the function of preventing the crib railing to be lifted up and completely off of the crib. This feature may be desired for safety purposes. When the cap 64 is secured onto the crib frame 54, the crib rail cannot be lifted up and completely off the crib. The railing cannot be lifted up and off because the cap 64 blocks the end of the horizontal member 56 from being lifted up. However, in this embodiment, the cap 64 can be removed from the crib frame 54 so that the railing can be lifted up and off. FIG. 11 depicts a cross-sectional view of one set of the locking mechanism components in the front crib guard rail with a cap 64. This figure shows the cap 64 being detached from the crib frame 54. It can be seen in this figure that once the cap 64 is removed, the horizontal member 56 can be lifted up because there is no longer any obstruction in its way.

FIG. 12 illustrates another preferred alternate embodiment of the present crib and locking mechanism. This embodiment is the same as the FIGS. 1-6 embodiment, but with an optional cap. Also, the function of the cap is to prevent either crib railing (22 or 38) to be lifted up and completely off of the crib 20. The cap does not allow the crib railing (22 or 38) to be raised because the cap blocks the horizontal member from being lifted up. FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of crib 20 with a front guard rail 22 and a rear guard rail 38. This view also shows the top of the front 22 and rear 38 guard rails through the groove 40 at points 30 and 32. In this embodiment, the points 30 and 32 are each covered by a cap. If the user desires to remove either railing (22 or 38) from the crib 20, the user may remove the corresponding cap from the crib frame 24. Then, the user will be able to lift the railing (22 or 38) completely up and off crib 20.

FIG. 13 depicts another alternative preferred embodiment of the present crib and locking mechanism. FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of a crib 20 with a front guard rail 22 and a rear guard rail 38. This embodiment preferably has the protruding knob, or actuator, 46 placed on the outside of the horizontal member 50 of the crib guard railing (22 and/or 38). This embodiment differs from all of the previously mentioned embodiments, which have the protruding knob 46 placed on the inside of the horizontal member 50 of the crib guard railing (22 and/or 38). The embodiment in FIG. 13, which modifies the placement of the protruding knob 46, can be used in combination with any of the previously mentioned embodiments.

FIG. 14 illustrates another preferred alternate embodiment of the present crib and locking mechanism. FIG. 14 also shows a perspective view of crib 20 with a front guard rail 22 and a rear guard rail 38. The embodiment in FIG. 14 is the same as the FIG. 13 embodiment, but with an optional cap that has a top surface that is substantially flush with the top of the crib frame 24. FIG. 14 also shows the top of the front 22 and rear 38 guard rails through the groove 40 at points 30 and 32. In this embodiment, the points 30 and 32 are each covered by a cap. It can be seen in FIG. 14 that the top of the cap is at the same height as the top of the crib frame 24. In other words, the top of the cap does not protrude above the height of the crib frame 24. Also in this embodiment, it can be seen that since the cap is recessed within the crib frame 24, the top of the horizontal member 50 of the front 22 and rear 38 crib railings is slightly lower than the top of the crib frame 24.

The function of the cap is to prevent either crib railing (22 or 38) to be lifted up and completely off of the crib 20. The cap does not allow the crib railing (22 or 38) to be raised because the cap blocks the horizontal member 50 from being lifted up. Either cap can be removed from the crib frame 24 so that the railing (22 and/or 38) can be lifted up and off the crib 20. The embodiment in FIG. 14, which incorporates a cap that is flush with the top of the crib frame 24, can be used in combination with any of the previously mentioned embodiments.

Thus, a locking mechanism for a crib is described in conjunction with one or more specific embodiments. 

1. A crib, comprising: a frame having a left side, a right side, a front side and a back side; a groove positioned in the front side; a front rail having a left side and a right side, positioned in the groove and adapted to reciprocate within and along the groove; a first partial locking mechanism positioned within the front rail; a second partial locking mechanism positioned in the left side of the frame; the first partial locking mechanism including a bar adapted for reciprocation within a top portion of the front rail; the bar having a hook-shaped portion at its distal end; the left side of the frame having a protrusion that is complementary to the shape of the hook-shaped portion of the bar; an actuator positioned on the bar and adapted to permit the reciprocation within the top portion of the front rail; and a removable cap positioned on the left side of the frame and overlying the protrusion at a height sufficient to permit the reciprocation. 